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 # Buffer

     Stability: 3 - Stable

 Pure JavaScript is Unicode friendly but not nice to binary data.  When
 dealing with TCP streams or the file system, it's necessary to handle octet
 streams. Node has several strategies for manipulating, creating, and
 consuming octet streams.

 Raw data is stored in instances of the `Buffer` class. A `Buffer` is similar
 to an array of integers but corresponds to a raw memory allocation outside
 the V8 heap. A `Buffer` cannot be resized.

 The `Buffer` class is a global, making it very rare that one would need
 to ever `require('buffer')`.

 Converting between Buffers and JavaScript string objects requires an explicit
 encoding method.  Here are the different string encodings.

 * `'ascii'` - for 7 bit ASCII data only.  This encoding method is very fast, and
   will strip the high bit if set.

   Note that when converting from string to buffer, this encoding converts a null
   character (`'\0'` or `'\u0000'`) into `0x20` (character code of a space). If
   you want to convert a null character into `0x00`, you should use `'utf8'`.

 * `'utf8'` - Multibyte encoded Unicode characters. Many web pages and other
   document formats use UTF-8.

 * `'utf16le'` - 2 or 4 bytes, little endian encoded Unicode characters.
   Surrogate pairs (U+10000 to U+10FFFF) are supported.

 * `'ucs2'` - Alias of `'utf16le'`.

 * `'base64'` - Base64 string encoding.

 * `'binary'` - A way of encoding raw binary data into strings by using only
   the first 8 bits of each character. This encoding method is deprecated and
   should be avoided in favor of `Buffer` objects where possible. This encoding
   will be removed in future versions of Node.

 * `'hex'` - Encode each byte as two hexadecimal characters.

 A `Buffer` object can also be used with typed arrays.  The buffer object is
 cloned to an `ArrayBuffer` that is used as the backing store for the typed
 array.  The memory of the buffer and the `ArrayBuffer` is not shared.

 NOTE: Node.js v0.8 simply retained a reference to the buffer in `array.buffer`
 instead of cloning it.

 While more efficient, it introduces subtle incompatibilities with the typed
 arrays specification.  `ArrayBuffer#slice()` makes a copy of the slice while
 `Buffer#slice()` creates a view.

 ## Class: Buffer

 The Buffer class is a global type for dealing with binary data directly.
 It can be constructed in a variety of ways.

 ### new Buffer(size)

 * `size` Number

 Allocates a new buffer of `size` octets.

 ### new Buffer(array)

 * `array` Array

 Allocates a new buffer using an `array` of octets.

 ### new Buffer(str, [encoding])

 * `str` String - string to encode.
 * `encoding` String - encoding to use, Optional.

 Allocates a new buffer containing the given `str`.
 `encoding` defaults to `'utf8'`.

 ### Class Method: Buffer.isEncoding(encoding)

 * `encoding` {String} The encoding string to test

 Returns true if the `encoding` is a valid encoding argument, or false
 otherwise.

 ### buf.write(string, [offset], [length], [encoding])

 * `string` String - data to be written to buffer
 * `offset` Number, Optional, Default: 0
 * `length` Number, Optional, Default: `buffer.length - offset`
 * `encoding` String, Optional, Default: 'utf8'

 Writes `string` to the buffer at `offset` using the given encoding.
 `offset` defaults to `0`, `encoding` defaults to `'utf8'`. `length` is
 the number of bytes to write. Returns number of octets written. If `buffer` did
 not contain enough space to fit the entire string, it will write a partial
 amount of the string. `length` defaults to `buffer.length - offset`.
 The method will not write partial characters.

     buf = new Buffer(256);
     len = buf.write('\u00bd + \u00bc = \u00be', 0);
     console.log(len + " bytes: " + buf.toString('utf8', 0, len));

 The number of characters written (which may be different than the number of
 bytes written) is set in `Buffer._charsWritten` and will be overwritten the
 next time `buf.write()` is called.


 ### buf.toString([encoding], [start], [end])

 * `encoding` String, Optional, Default: 'utf8'
 * `start` Number, Optional, Default: 0
 * `end` Number, Optional, Default: `buffer.length`

 Decodes and returns a string from buffer data encoded with `encoding`
 (defaults to `'utf8'`) beginning at `start` (defaults to `0`) and ending at
 `end` (defaults to `buffer.length`).

 See `buffer.write()` example, above.


 ### buf.toJSON()

 Returns a JSON-representation of the Buffer instance, which is identical to the
 output for JSON Arrays. `JSON.stringify` implicitly calls this function when
 stringifying a Buffer instance.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer('test');
     var json = JSON.stringify(buf);

     console.log(json);
     // '[116,101,115,116]'

     var copy = new Buffer(JSON.parse(json));

     console.log(copy);
     // <Buffer 74 65 73 74>

 ### buf[index]

 <!--type=property-->
 <!--name=[index]-->

 Get and set the octet at `index`. The values refer to individual bytes,
 so the legal range is between `0x00` and `0xFF` hex or `0` and `255`.

 Example: copy an ASCII string into a buffer, one byte at a time:

     str = "node.js";
     buf = new Buffer(str.length);

     for (var i = 0; i < str.length ; i++) {
       buf[i] = str.charCodeAt(i);
     }

     console.log(buf);

     // node.js

 ### Class Method: Buffer.isBuffer(obj)

 * `obj` Object
 * Return: Boolean

 Tests if `obj` is a `Buffer`.

 ### Class Method: Buffer.byteLength(string, [encoding])

 * `string` String
 * `encoding` String, Optional, Default: 'utf8'
 * Return: Number

 Gives the actual byte length of a string. `encoding` defaults to `'utf8'`.
 This is not the same as `String.prototype.length` since that returns the
 number of *characters* in a string.

 Example:

     str = '\u00bd + \u00bc = \u00be';

     console.log(str + ": " + str.length + " characters, " +
       Buffer.byteLength(str, 'utf8') + " bytes");

     // ½ + ¼ = ¾: 9 characters, 12 bytes

 ### Class Method: Buffer.concat(list, [totalLength])

 * `list` {Array} List of Buffer objects to concat
 * `totalLength` {Number} Total length of the buffers when concatenated

 Returns a buffer which is the result of concatenating all the buffers in
 the list together.

 If the list has no items, or if the totalLength is 0, then it returns a
 zero-length buffer.

 If the list has exactly one item, then the first item of the list is
 returned.

 If the list has more than one item, then a new Buffer is created.

 If totalLength is not provided, it is read from the buffers in the list.
 However, this adds an additional loop to the function, so it is faster
 to provide the length explicitly.

 ### buf.length

 * Number

 The size of the buffer in bytes.  Note that this is not necessarily the size
 of the contents. `length` refers to the amount of memory allocated for the
 buffer object.  It does not change when the contents of the buffer are changed.

     buf = new Buffer(1234);

     console.log(buf.length);
     buf.write("some string", 0, "ascii");
     console.log(buf.length);

     // 1234
     // 1234

 ### buf.copy(targetBuffer, [targetStart], [sourceStart], [sourceEnd])

 * `targetBuffer` Buffer object - Buffer to copy into
 * `targetStart` Number, Optional, Default: 0
 * `sourceStart` Number, Optional, Default: 0
 * `sourceEnd` Number, Optional, Default: `buffer.length`

 Does copy between buffers. The source and target regions can be overlapped.
 `targetStart` and `sourceStart` default to `0`.
 `sourceEnd` defaults to `buffer.length`.

 All values passed that are `undefined`/`NaN` or are out of bounds are set equal
 to their respective defaults.

 Example: build two Buffers, then copy `buf1` from byte 16 through byte 19
 into `buf2`, starting at the 8th byte in `buf2`.

     buf1 = new Buffer(26);
     buf2 = new Buffer(26);

     for (var i = 0 ; i < 26 ; i++) {
       buf1[i] = i + 97; // 97 is ASCII a
       buf2[i] = 33; // ASCII !
     }

     buf1.copy(buf2, 8, 16, 20);
     console.log(buf2.toString('ascii', 0, 25));

     // !!!!!!!!qrst!!!!!!!!!!!!!


 ### buf.slice([start], [end])

 * `start` Number, Optional, Default: 0
 * `end` Number, Optional, Default: `buffer.length`

 Returns a new buffer which references the same memory as the old, but offset
 and cropped by the `start` (defaults to `0`) and `end` (defaults to
 `buffer.length`) indexes.  Negative indexes start from the end of the buffer.

 **Modifying the new buffer slice will modify memory in the original buffer!**

 Example: build a Buffer with the ASCII alphabet, take a slice, then modify one
 byte from the original Buffer.

     var buf1 = new Buffer(26);

     for (var i = 0 ; i < 26 ; i++) {
       buf1[i] = i + 97; // 97 is ASCII a
     }

     var buf2 = buf1.slice(0, 3);
     console.log(buf2.toString('ascii', 0, buf2.length));
     buf1[0] = 33;
     console.log(buf2.toString('ascii', 0, buf2.length));

     // abc
     // !bc

 ### buf.readUInt8(offset, [noAssert])

 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
 * Return: Number

 Reads an unsigned 8 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
 may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(4);

     buf[0] = 0x3;
     buf[1] = 0x4;
     buf[2] = 0x23;
     buf[3] = 0x42;

     for (ii = 0; ii < buf.length; ii++) {
       console.log(buf.readUInt8(ii));
     }

     // 0x3
     // 0x4
     // 0x23
     // 0x42

 ### buf.readUInt16LE(offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.readUInt16BE(offset, [noAssert])

 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
 * Return: Number

 Reads an unsigned 16 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset with
 specified endian format.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
 may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(4);

     buf[0] = 0x3;
     buf[1] = 0x4;
     buf[2] = 0x23;
     buf[3] = 0x42;

     console.log(buf.readUInt16BE(0));
     console.log(buf.readUInt16LE(0));
     console.log(buf.readUInt16BE(1));
     console.log(buf.readUInt16LE(1));
     console.log(buf.readUInt16BE(2));
     console.log(buf.readUInt16LE(2));

     // 0x0304
     // 0x0403
     // 0x0423
     // 0x2304
     // 0x2342
     // 0x4223

 ### buf.readUInt32LE(offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.readUInt32BE(offset, [noAssert])

 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
 * Return: Number

 Reads an unsigned 32 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset with
 specified endian format.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
 may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(4);

     buf[0] = 0x3;
     buf[1] = 0x4;
     buf[2] = 0x23;
     buf[3] = 0x42;

     console.log(buf.readUInt32BE(0));
     console.log(buf.readUInt32LE(0));

     // 0x03042342
     // 0x42230403

 ### buf.readInt8(offset, [noAssert])

 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
 * Return: Number

 Reads a signed 8 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
 may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

 Works as `buffer.readUInt8`, except buffer contents are treated as two's
 complement signed values.

 ### buf.readInt16LE(offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.readInt16BE(offset, [noAssert])

 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
 * Return: Number

 Reads a signed 16 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset with
 specified endian format.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
 may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

 Works as `buffer.readUInt16*`, except buffer contents are treated as two's
 complement signed values.

 ### buf.readInt32LE(offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.readInt32BE(offset, [noAssert])

 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
 * Return: Number

 Reads a signed 32 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset with
 specified endian format.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
 may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

 Works as `buffer.readUInt32*`, except buffer contents are treated as two's
 complement signed values.

 ### buf.readFloatLE(offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.readFloatBE(offset, [noAssert])

 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
 * Return: Number

 Reads a 32 bit float from the buffer at the specified offset with specified
 endian format.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
 may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(4);

     buf[0] = 0x00;
     buf[1] = 0x00;
     buf[2] = 0x80;
     buf[3] = 0x3f;

     console.log(buf.readFloatLE(0));

     // 0x01

 ### buf.readDoubleLE(offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.readDoubleBE(offset, [noAssert])

 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
 * Return: Number

 Reads a 64 bit double from the buffer at the specified offset with specified
 endian format.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
 may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(8);

     buf[0] = 0x55;
     buf[1] = 0x55;
     buf[2] = 0x55;
     buf[3] = 0x55;
     buf[4] = 0x55;
     buf[5] = 0x55;
     buf[6] = 0xd5;
     buf[7] = 0x3f;

     console.log(buf.readDoubleLE(0));

     // 0.3333333333333333

 ### buf.writeUInt8(value, offset, [noAssert])

 * `value` Number
 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

 Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset. Note, `value` must be a
 valid unsigned 8 bit integer.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
 that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
 beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
 should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(4);
     buf.writeUInt8(0x3, 0);
     buf.writeUInt8(0x4, 1);
     buf.writeUInt8(0x23, 2);
     buf.writeUInt8(0x42, 3);

     console.log(buf);

     // <Buffer 03 04 23 42>

 ### buf.writeUInt16LE(value, offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.writeUInt16BE(value, offset, [noAssert])

 * `value` Number
 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

 Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
 format. Note, `value` must be a valid unsigned 16 bit integer.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
 that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
 beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
 should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(4);
     buf.writeUInt16BE(0xdead, 0);
     buf.writeUInt16BE(0xbeef, 2);

     console.log(buf);

     buf.writeUInt16LE(0xdead, 0);
     buf.writeUInt16LE(0xbeef, 2);

     console.log(buf);

     // <Buffer de ad be ef>
     // <Buffer ad de ef be>

 ### buf.writeUInt32LE(value, offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.writeUInt32BE(value, offset, [noAssert])

 * `value` Number
 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

 Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
 format. Note, `value` must be a valid unsigned 32 bit integer.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
 that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
 beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
 should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(4);
     buf.writeUInt32BE(0xfeedface, 0);

     console.log(buf);

     buf.writeUInt32LE(0xfeedface, 0);

     console.log(buf);

     // <Buffer fe ed fa ce>
     // <Buffer ce fa ed fe>

 ### buf.writeInt8(value, offset, [noAssert])

 * `value` Number
 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

 Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset. Note, `value` must be a
 valid signed 8 bit integer.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
 that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
 beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
 should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

 Works as `buffer.writeUInt8`, except value is written out as a two's complement
 signed integer into `buffer`.

 ### buf.writeInt16LE(value, offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.writeInt16BE(value, offset, [noAssert])

 * `value` Number
 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

 Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
 format. Note, `value` must be a valid signed 16 bit integer.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
 that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
 beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
 should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

 Works as `buffer.writeUInt16*`, except value is written out as a two's
 complement signed integer into `buffer`.

 ### buf.writeInt32LE(value, offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.writeInt32BE(value, offset, [noAssert])

 * `value` Number
 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

 Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
 format. Note, `value` must be a valid signed 32 bit integer.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
 that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
 beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
 should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

 Works as `buffer.writeUInt32*`, except value is written out as a two's
 complement signed integer into `buffer`.

 ### buf.writeFloatLE(value, offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.writeFloatBE(value, offset, [noAssert])

 * `value` Number
 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

 Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
 format. Note, behavior is unspecified if `value` is not a 32 bit float.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
 that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
 beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
 should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(4);
     buf.writeFloatBE(0xcafebabe, 0);

     console.log(buf);

     buf.writeFloatLE(0xcafebabe, 0);

     console.log(buf);

     // <Buffer 4f 4a fe bb>
     // <Buffer bb fe 4a 4f>

 ### buf.writeDoubleLE(value, offset, [noAssert])
 ### buf.writeDoubleBE(value, offset, [noAssert])

 * `value` Number
 * `offset` Number
 * `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

 Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
 format. Note, `value` must be a valid 64 bit double.

 Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
 that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
 beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
 should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

 Example:

     var buf = new Buffer(8);
     buf.writeDoubleBE(0xdeadbeefcafebabe, 0);

     console.log(buf);

     buf.writeDoubleLE(0xdeadbeefcafebabe, 0);

     console.log(buf);

     // <Buffer 43 eb d5 b7 dd f9 5f d7>
     // <Buffer d7 5f f9 dd b7 d5 eb 43>

 ### buf.fill(value, [offset], [end])

 * `value`
 * `offset` Number, Optional
 * `end` Number, Optional

 Fills the buffer with the specified value. If the `offset` (defaults to `0`)
 and `end` (defaults to `buffer.length`) are not given it will fill the entire
 buffer.

     var b = new Buffer(50);
     b.fill("h");

 ## buffer.INSPECT_MAX_BYTES

 * Number, Default: 50

 How many bytes will be returned when `buffer.inspect()` is called. This can
 be overridden by user modules.

 Note that this is a property on the buffer module returned by
 `require('buffer')`, not on the Buffer global, or a buffer instance.

 ## Class: SlowBuffer

 This class is primarily for internal use.  JavaScript programs should
 use Buffer instead of using SlowBuffer.

 In order to avoid the overhead of allocating many C++ Buffer objects for
 small blocks of memory in the lifetime of a server, Node allocates memory
 in 8Kb (8192 byte) chunks.  If a buffer is smaller than this size, then it
 will be backed by a parent SlowBuffer object.  If it is larger than this,
 then Node will allocate a SlowBuffer slab for it directly.
	# Buffer

	Stability: 3 - Stable

	Pure JavaScript is Unicode friendly but not nice to binary data. When
	dealing with TCP streams or the file system, it's necessary to handle octet
	streams. Node has several strategies for manipulating, creating, and
	consuming octet streams.

	Raw data is stored in instances of the `Buffer` class. A `Buffer` is similar
	to an array of integers but corresponds to a raw memory allocation outside
	the V8 heap. A `Buffer` cannot be resized.

	The `Buffer` class is a global, making it very rare that one would need
	to ever `require('buffer')`.

	Converting between Buffers and JavaScript string objects requires an explicit
	encoding method. Here are the different string encodings.

	* `'ascii'` - for 7 bit ASCII data only. This encoding method is very fast, and
	will strip the high bit if set.

	Note that when converting from string to buffer, this encoding converts a null
	character (`'\0'` or `'\u0000'`) into `0x20` (character code of a space). If
	you want to convert a null character into `0x00`, you should use `'utf8'`.

	* `'utf8'` - Multibyte encoded Unicode characters. Many web pages and other
	document formats use UTF-8.

	* `'utf16le'` - 2 or 4 bytes, little endian encoded Unicode characters.
	Surrogate pairs (U+10000 to U+10FFFF) are supported.

	* `'ucs2'` - Alias of `'utf16le'`.

	* `'base64'` - Base64 string encoding.

	* `'binary'` - A way of encoding raw binary data into strings by using only
	the first 8 bits of each character. This encoding method is deprecated and
	should be avoided in favor of `Buffer` objects where possible. This encoding
	will be removed in future versions of Node.

	* `'hex'` - Encode each byte as two hexadecimal characters.

	A `Buffer` object can also be used with typed arrays. The buffer object is
	cloned to an `ArrayBuffer` that is used as the backing store for the typed
	array. The memory of the buffer and the `ArrayBuffer` is not shared.

	NOTE: Node.js v0.8 simply retained a reference to the buffer in `array.buffer`
	instead of cloning it.

	While more efficient, it introduces subtle incompatibilities with the typed
	arrays specification. `ArrayBuffer#slice()` makes a copy of the slice while
	`Buffer#slice()` creates a view.

	## Class: Buffer

	The Buffer class is a global type for dealing with binary data directly.
	It can be constructed in a variety of ways.

	### new Buffer(size)

	* `size` Number

	Allocates a new buffer of `size` octets.

	### new Buffer(array)

	* `array` Array

	Allocates a new buffer using an `array` of octets.

	### new Buffer(str, [encoding])

	* `str` String - string to encode.
	* `encoding` String - encoding to use, Optional.

	Allocates a new buffer containing the given `str`.
	`encoding` defaults to `'utf8'`.

	### Class Method: Buffer.isEncoding(encoding)

	* `encoding` {String} The encoding string to test

	Returns true if the `encoding` is a valid encoding argument, or false
	otherwise.

	### buf.write(string, [offset], [length], [encoding])

	* `string` String - data to be written to buffer
	* `offset` Number, Optional, Default: 0
	* `length` Number, Optional, Default: `buffer.length - offset`
	* `encoding` String, Optional, Default: 'utf8'

	Writes `string` to the buffer at `offset` using the given encoding.
	`offset` defaults to `0`, `encoding` defaults to `'utf8'`. `length` is
	the number of bytes to write. Returns number of octets written. If `buffer` did
	not contain enough space to fit the entire string, it will write a partial
	amount of the string. `length` defaults to `buffer.length - offset`.
	The method will not write partial characters.

	buf = new Buffer(256);
	len = buf.write('\u00bd + \u00bc = \u00be', 0);
	console.log(len + " bytes: " + buf.toString('utf8', 0, len));

	The number of characters written (which may be different than the number of
	bytes written) is set in `Buffer._charsWritten` and will be overwritten the
	next time `buf.write()` is called.


	### buf.toString([encoding], [start], [end])

	* `encoding` String, Optional, Default: 'utf8'
	* `start` Number, Optional, Default: 0
	* `end` Number, Optional, Default: `buffer.length`

	Decodes and returns a string from buffer data encoded with `encoding`
	(defaults to `'utf8'`) beginning at `start` (defaults to `0`) and ending at
	`end` (defaults to `buffer.length`).

	See `buffer.write()` example, above.


	### buf.toJSON()

	Returns a JSON-representation of the Buffer instance, which is identical to the
	output for JSON Arrays. `JSON.stringify` implicitly calls this function when
	stringifying a Buffer instance.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer('test');
	var json = JSON.stringify(buf);

	console.log(json);
	// '[116,101,115,116]'

	var copy = new Buffer(JSON.parse(json));

	console.log(copy);
	// <Buffer 74 65 73 74>

	### buf[index]

	<!--type=property-->
	<!--name=[index]-->

	Get and set the octet at `index`. The values refer to individual bytes,
	so the legal range is between `0x00` and `0xFF` hex or `0` and `255`.

	Example: copy an ASCII string into a buffer, one byte at a time:

	str = "node.js";
	buf = new Buffer(str.length);

	for (var i = 0; i < str.length ; i++) {
	buf[i] = str.charCodeAt(i);
	}

	console.log(buf);

	// node.js

	### Class Method: Buffer.isBuffer(obj)

	* `obj` Object
	* Return: Boolean

	Tests if `obj` is a `Buffer`.

	### Class Method: Buffer.byteLength(string, [encoding])

	* `string` String
	* `encoding` String, Optional, Default: 'utf8'
	* Return: Number

	Gives the actual byte length of a string. `encoding` defaults to `'utf8'`.
	This is not the same as `String.prototype.length` since that returns the
	number of characters in a string.

	Example:

	str = '\u00bd + \u00bc = \u00be';

	console.log(str + ": " + str.length + " characters, " +
	Buffer.byteLength(str, 'utf8') + " bytes");

	// ½ + ¼ = ¾: 9 characters, 12 bytes

	### Class Method: Buffer.concat(list, [totalLength])

	* `list` {Array} List of Buffer objects to concat
	* `totalLength` {Number} Total length of the buffers when concatenated

	Returns a buffer which is the result of concatenating all the buffers in
	the list together.

	If the list has no items, or if the totalLength is 0, then it returns a
	zero-length buffer.

	If the list has exactly one item, then the first item of the list is
	returned.

	If the list has more than one item, then a new Buffer is created.

	If totalLength is not provided, it is read from the buffers in the list.
	However, this adds an additional loop to the function, so it is faster
	to provide the length explicitly.

	### buf.length

	* Number

	The size of the buffer in bytes. Note that this is not necessarily the size
	of the contents. `length` refers to the amount of memory allocated for the
	buffer object. It does not change when the contents of the buffer are changed.

	buf = new Buffer(1234);

	console.log(buf.length);
	buf.write("some string", 0, "ascii");
	console.log(buf.length);

	// 1234
	// 1234

	### buf.copy(targetBuffer, [targetStart], [sourceStart], [sourceEnd])

	* `targetBuffer` Buffer object - Buffer to copy into
	* `targetStart` Number, Optional, Default: 0
	* `sourceStart` Number, Optional, Default: 0
	* `sourceEnd` Number, Optional, Default: `buffer.length`

	Does copy between buffers. The source and target regions can be overlapped.
	`targetStart` and `sourceStart` default to `0`.
	`sourceEnd` defaults to `buffer.length`.

	All values passed that are `undefined`/`NaN` or are out of bounds are set equal
	to their respective defaults.

	Example: build two Buffers, then copy `buf1` from byte 16 through byte 19
	into `buf2`, starting at the 8th byte in `buf2`.

	buf1 = new Buffer(26);
	buf2 = new Buffer(26);

	for (var i = 0 ; i < 26 ; i++) {
	buf1[i] = i + 97; // 97 is ASCII a
	buf2[i] = 33; // ASCII !
	}

	buf1.copy(buf2, 8, 16, 20);
	console.log(buf2.toString('ascii', 0, 25));

	// !!!!!!!!qrst!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	### buf.slice([start], [end])

	* `start` Number, Optional, Default: 0
	* `end` Number, Optional, Default: `buffer.length`

	Returns a new buffer which references the same memory as the old, but offset
	and cropped by the `start` (defaults to `0`) and `end` (defaults to
	`buffer.length`) indexes. Negative indexes start from the end of the buffer.

	Modifying the new buffer slice will modify memory in the original buffer!

	Example: build a Buffer with the ASCII alphabet, take a slice, then modify one
	byte from the original Buffer.

	var buf1 = new Buffer(26);

	for (var i = 0 ; i < 26 ; i++) {
	buf1[i] = i + 97; // 97 is ASCII a
	}

	var buf2 = buf1.slice(0, 3);
	console.log(buf2.toString('ascii', 0, buf2.length));
	buf1[0] = 33;
	console.log(buf2.toString('ascii', 0, buf2.length));

	// abc
	// !bc

	### buf.readUInt8(offset, [noAssert])

	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
	* Return: Number

	Reads an unsigned 8 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
	may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(4);

	buf[0] = 0x3;
	buf[1] = 0x4;
	buf[2] = 0x23;
	buf[3] = 0x42;

	for (ii = 0; ii < buf.length; ii++) {
	console.log(buf.readUInt8(ii));
	}

	// 0x3
	// 0x4
	// 0x23
	// 0x42

	### buf.readUInt16LE(offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.readUInt16BE(offset, [noAssert])

	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
	* Return: Number

	Reads an unsigned 16 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset with
	specified endian format.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
	may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(4);

	buf[0] = 0x3;
	buf[1] = 0x4;
	buf[2] = 0x23;
	buf[3] = 0x42;

	console.log(buf.readUInt16BE(0));
	console.log(buf.readUInt16LE(0));
	console.log(buf.readUInt16BE(1));
	console.log(buf.readUInt16LE(1));
	console.log(buf.readUInt16BE(2));
	console.log(buf.readUInt16LE(2));

	// 0x0304
	// 0x0403
	// 0x0423
	// 0x2304
	// 0x2342
	// 0x4223

	### buf.readUInt32LE(offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.readUInt32BE(offset, [noAssert])

	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
	* Return: Number

	Reads an unsigned 32 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset with
	specified endian format.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
	may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(4);

	buf[0] = 0x3;
	buf[1] = 0x4;
	buf[2] = 0x23;
	buf[3] = 0x42;

	console.log(buf.readUInt32BE(0));
	console.log(buf.readUInt32LE(0));

	// 0x03042342
	// 0x42230403

	### buf.readInt8(offset, [noAssert])

	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
	* Return: Number

	Reads a signed 8 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
	may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

	Works as `buffer.readUInt8`, except buffer contents are treated as two's
	complement signed values.

	### buf.readInt16LE(offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.readInt16BE(offset, [noAssert])

	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
	* Return: Number

	Reads a signed 16 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset with
	specified endian format.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
	may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

	Works as `buffer.readUInt16*`, except buffer contents are treated as two's
	complement signed values.

	### buf.readInt32LE(offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.readInt32BE(offset, [noAssert])

	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
	* Return: Number

	Reads a signed 32 bit integer from the buffer at the specified offset with
	specified endian format.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
	may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

	Works as `buffer.readUInt32*`, except buffer contents are treated as two's
	complement signed values.

	### buf.readFloatLE(offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.readFloatBE(offset, [noAssert])

	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
	* Return: Number

	Reads a 32 bit float from the buffer at the specified offset with specified
	endian format.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
	may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(4);

	buf[0] = 0x00;
	buf[1] = 0x00;
	buf[2] = 0x80;
	buf[3] = 0x3f;

	console.log(buf.readFloatLE(0));

	// 0x01

	### buf.readDoubleLE(offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.readDoubleBE(offset, [noAssert])

	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false
	* Return: Number

	Reads a 64 bit double from the buffer at the specified offset with specified
	endian format.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `offset`. This means that `offset`
	may be beyond the end of the buffer. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(8);

	buf[0] = 0x55;
	buf[1] = 0x55;
	buf[2] = 0x55;
	buf[3] = 0x55;
	buf[4] = 0x55;
	buf[5] = 0x55;
	buf[6] = 0xd5;
	buf[7] = 0x3f;

	console.log(buf.readDoubleLE(0));

	// 0.3333333333333333

	### buf.writeUInt8(value, offset, [noAssert])

	* `value` Number
	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

	Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset. Note, `value` must be a
	valid unsigned 8 bit integer.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
	that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
	beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
	should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(4);
	buf.writeUInt8(0x3, 0);
	buf.writeUInt8(0x4, 1);
	buf.writeUInt8(0x23, 2);
	buf.writeUInt8(0x42, 3);

	console.log(buf);

	// <Buffer 03 04 23 42>

	### buf.writeUInt16LE(value, offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.writeUInt16BE(value, offset, [noAssert])

	* `value` Number
	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

	Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
	format. Note, `value` must be a valid unsigned 16 bit integer.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
	that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
	beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
	should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(4);
	buf.writeUInt16BE(0xdead, 0);
	buf.writeUInt16BE(0xbeef, 2);

	console.log(buf);

	buf.writeUInt16LE(0xdead, 0);
	buf.writeUInt16LE(0xbeef, 2);

	console.log(buf);

	// <Buffer de ad be ef>
	// <Buffer ad de ef be>

	### buf.writeUInt32LE(value, offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.writeUInt32BE(value, offset, [noAssert])

	* `value` Number
	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

	Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
	format. Note, `value` must be a valid unsigned 32 bit integer.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
	that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
	beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
	should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(4);
	buf.writeUInt32BE(0xfeedface, 0);

	console.log(buf);

	buf.writeUInt32LE(0xfeedface, 0);

	console.log(buf);

	// <Buffer fe ed fa ce>
	// <Buffer ce fa ed fe>

	### buf.writeInt8(value, offset, [noAssert])

	* `value` Number
	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

	Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset. Note, `value` must be a
	valid signed 8 bit integer.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
	that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
	beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
	should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

	Works as `buffer.writeUInt8`, except value is written out as a two's complement
	signed integer into `buffer`.

	### buf.writeInt16LE(value, offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.writeInt16BE(value, offset, [noAssert])

	* `value` Number
	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

	Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
	format. Note, `value` must be a valid signed 16 bit integer.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
	that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
	beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
	should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

	Works as `buffer.writeUInt16*`, except value is written out as a two's
	complement signed integer into `buffer`.

	### buf.writeInt32LE(value, offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.writeInt32BE(value, offset, [noAssert])

	* `value` Number
	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

	Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
	format. Note, `value` must be a valid signed 32 bit integer.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
	that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
	beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
	should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

	Works as `buffer.writeUInt32*`, except value is written out as a two's
	complement signed integer into `buffer`.

	### buf.writeFloatLE(value, offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.writeFloatBE(value, offset, [noAssert])

	* `value` Number
	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

	Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
	format. Note, behavior is unspecified if `value` is not a 32 bit float.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
	that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
	beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
	should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(4);
	buf.writeFloatBE(0xcafebabe, 0);

	console.log(buf);

	buf.writeFloatLE(0xcafebabe, 0);

	console.log(buf);

	// <Buffer 4f 4a fe bb>
	// <Buffer bb fe 4a 4f>

	### buf.writeDoubleLE(value, offset, [noAssert])
	### buf.writeDoubleBE(value, offset, [noAssert])

	* `value` Number
	* `offset` Number
	* `noAssert` Boolean, Optional, Default: false

	Writes `value` to the buffer at the specified offset with specified endian
	format. Note, `value` must be a valid 64 bit double.

	Set `noAssert` to true to skip validation of `value` and `offset`. This means
	that `value` may be too large for the specific function and `offset` may be
	beyond the end of the buffer leading to the values being silently dropped. This
	should not be used unless you are certain of correctness. Defaults to `false`.

	Example:

	var buf = new Buffer(8);
	buf.writeDoubleBE(0xdeadbeefcafebabe, 0);

	console.log(buf);

	buf.writeDoubleLE(0xdeadbeefcafebabe, 0);

	console.log(buf);

	// <Buffer 43 eb d5 b7 dd f9 5f d7>
	// <Buffer d7 5f f9 dd b7 d5 eb 43>

	### buf.fill(value, [offset], [end])

	* `value`
	* `offset` Number, Optional
	* `end` Number, Optional

	Fills the buffer with the specified value. If the `offset` (defaults to `0`)
	and `end` (defaults to `buffer.length`) are not given it will fill the entire
	buffer.

	var b = new Buffer(50);
	b.fill("h");

	## buffer.INSPECT_MAX_BYTES

	* Number, Default: 50

	How many bytes will be returned when `buffer.inspect()` is called. This can
	be overridden by user modules.

	Note that this is a property on the buffer module returned by
	`require('buffer')`, not on the Buffer global, or a buffer instance.

	## Class: SlowBuffer

	This class is primarily for internal use. JavaScript programs should
	use Buffer instead of using SlowBuffer.

	In order to avoid the overhead of allocating many C++ Buffer objects for
	small blocks of memory in the lifetime of a server, Node allocates memory
	in 8Kb (8192 byte) chunks. If a buffer is smaller than this size, then it
	will be backed by a parent SlowBuffer object. If it is larger than this,
	then Node will allocate a SlowBuffer slab for it directly.